A Pup of One's Own
by greenikat89
Summary: Oneshot:Cloud assumed Leon was more of a cat person but an unexpected visit to a pet shop changes his mind. Leon might not have time to care for a puppy, but Cloud knows he could make Leon reconsider. A wolf is part of the canine family after all. C/L


**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Kingdom Hearts franchise or anything else. I just enjoy playing with the characters.

A/N: You don't have to give me that look because I know I've been absent from any posting in quite some time. I think it's been almost a year since I've updated anything but there's really not much time for writing in the real world. I also may or may not have lost all my fandom files because I put them all on a flash drive that I found recently. Either way don't expect too much writing from me, but I'm still happy (and surprised) when my old stuff gets favorites and reviews so thank you. Also, this has not been beta'd so please tell me if you see mistakes.

Warnings: Um, AU/AR, slight OOC, oneshot, and um, perhaps a bit of slashy intentions. I just can't seem to get away from this pairing.

* * *

A pet store was the last place Cloud would think to see Leon. He had almost done a double take as he had passed by the big front window upon seeing the younger man. It was funny seeing Leon sitting cross legged on the floor in the middle of the pen surrounded by yipping puppies. Ah, but there was a faint smile on the brunet's usually stoic face and Cloud couldn't help himself.

"I didn't think I'd find you in here," Cloud nearly drawled. The bell above the door jingled merrily as the fighter pushed open the door and made his way into the store.

Leon glanced up, barely giving Cloud a faint nod of hello before he gently tugged the end of his belt out of a curious mouth. "I come here from time to time to give them attention." He picked up one of the wriggling puppies with a black spot over his eye and cradled him in his gloved palms. The Dalmatian nuzzled the man's thumb and swiped at his gloved fingers with a little pink tongue.

Cloud's mouth quirked in amusement at the fifteen puppies crawling all over the brunet and playing with the chew toys Leon must have brought them. They were kind of cute although noisy but the gunblader didn't seem to mind as he patiently gave each puppy equal attention. One of the little ones tugged at the blonde's shoelace and Cloud picked up the pup by the scruff of his neck. "Why don't you take them home and care for them?" he asked while absently patting the Dalmatian on the head.

The other man dangled a piece of string in front of a black eared puppy and his smaller sister. "Aerith's allergic to dogs. And can you really imagine Yuffie around fifteen small puppies without utter chaos happening?" Leon asked. As much as he would have liked to he couldn't take all of them home. There wasn't enough room and with his busy schedule restoring Hollow Bastion he didn't have enough time to. Even taking care of one would have been impossible because Leon just didn't have the attention to give a puppy. Perhaps once the town was restored...

Cloud nodded before hastily picking up his buster sword when one of them tried to gnaw its way through the bandages. He was silent as he watched Leon play with the puppies who seemed to adore the man. "Wanna spar?" he offered after awhile and the younger man sighed and nodded.

Leon grunted in agreement and set down one of the Dalmatians he had been petting. He gave each puppy one last pat and pulled out a handful of puppy treats from his pocket. The puppies barked happily and tripped over themselves to get to the food and stare at Leon with adoring eyes. "I'll be back next week," the man promised quietly as he picked up his gunblade lying against the wall.

Cloud didn't miss the longing note in Leon's voice and his brow creased in thought. He held open the door for Leon, unable to resist smacking the leather clad ass much to the displeasure of the gunblader. He glanced back at the puppies who had their noses pressed up against the glass window and were looking at Leon with large mournful eyes. Cloud was about to say something but then shook his head. He hesitated as a though struck him and Cloud glanced sideways at the brunet.

Stormy blue eyes looked back curiously as the bell above the door shop jingled open again. He lifted an eyebrow in question when Cloud started to edge his way back inside. "Tifa wanted me to pick up some kitty litter for her demon cat," the other man offered by way of an explanation. "I'll catch up with you." Cloud watched as Leon silently huffed in annoyance before making his way down the cobbled streets.

Tails waggled furiously as Cloud walked towards the puppy pen. "You've given me a great idea," Cloud praised as he picked up a plain black leather collar with little silver studs from a rack. It looked about the right size and he added a couple other items to his purchase. He paid for it at the counter and gave the pups one last little wave before exiting the shop.

It didn't take long to head down the well worn path towards the training grounds and Cloud could feel anticipation curling within him. The silver tag glinted in the afternoon light as the blond buckled the collar around his neck before pulling out his leash from the bag. It looked like Leon would get a pet to play with after all.


End file.
